Sailor X
by ebonygrayqueen
Summary: After a thousand years of traveling, waiting and training, Azrealella is back on Earth, her once second home. But this isn’t a home coming, isn’t a friendly visit, she wants revenge for the wrongs done to her family committed by the late Queen Serenity
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the wonderful Sailor Moon series, the only character I claim ownership to is that of Azrealella. Thank you and enjoy

Everything seemed normal, the air was breathable, nothing looked to out of place, Azrealella took in the scene before her in a quick sweeping glance. She had not been to Earth in over a thousand years. A thousand years of wandering, and exploring the universe alone. With only one steady contact and friend, and a dozen associates. The vague hope of returning to Earth, and getting her revenge was a dream that she never hoped would come true. When Galaxia attacked the Sailor Stars plant, Azrealella knew there was only one hope for their princess's survival, send her to Earth. If the other Sailor Scouts were alive again, then they could protect her, if not, she was still safer on the distant planet then on her home world. But when the princess didn't return for such a long time, nor the three Stars who went after her, and the few of Galaxia's assassins that were left on the Stars world were dead, she could wait no longer. Azrealella stayed only as long as she had to, to begin rebuilding the Stars world. It was amazing how a little magic could help plants grow and flourish.

Now looking down on the planet she had once known so well, she shuddered. It was so different so strange, maybe it had been to long, and she was a fool to come here again. She could not sense the presence of the Sailor Stars, either they had left, or they had never made it this far, perhaps she had sent them too their doom. Squeezing her eyes tight shut against the visions of hopelessness that were to quick to appear she turned from the view of Tokyo, and back to her beloved ship. It hadn't been the highest in technology when she had made it so many years ago, her brothers always there to explain the technology to her, and assist with anything she didn't understand. But the small vessel had traveled through more space, and worm holes then anything that any earthling had yet developed.

But then Planet X had always been light years ahead of time when it came to technology.

Azrealelle dropped her gaze to the watch on her left arm and hit a quick sequence on the face of what appeared to be a normal watch. Smiling in satisfaction, she watched her ship dissolve into nothingness as an invisibility shield wrapped it self around her ship. It would be safe here.

Turing back to Tokyo she smiled. She was back, a plant that she would have once thought of, as a second home was now a strange frightening place. This was the only place that she could get revenge against the blond little princess who had cost her so much. This was the only place that she could see once again friends from a lifetime long ago. Her smiled widened as she survey her hunting grounds.

Firsts things first, she thought grimly, I need to observe my prey, enroll in the local school, maybe find somewhere to live, and my old friends. If she could survive high school here, she could survive anything.

Sailor Uranus stood looking down at the movie theater from a neighboring roof, Sailor Pluto, Saturn, and Neptune around her.

"The others are on their way." Pluto announced to no one in particular.

They had met there by chance, all of them being drawn by the odd dark energy.

"It feels to cold, icy even." Neptune said shaking her head.

Uranus wrapped an arm around Neptune. "Whatever it is that is causing that dark energy its not what we felt the other night."

Pluto nodded but said nothing.

A moment later they saw the five inner scouts come running around the corner, fighting the steady stream of body's running away from the theater. "Lets follow them." Uranus declared.

The Outer Scouts followed at a safe distance from the Inners as they entered the theater. They followed them into one of the large movie watching rooms and froze near the back. The three creatures that were destroying the front part of the theater were neither substantial, nor were they formless. Their odd bodies illuminated from behind by the white movie screen. They appeared like nothing they had ever seen before, mist one moment solid the next. But the victims they held trapped in the front of the theater were real people in real trouble. As the Scouts watched, one of the creatures picked up a screaming lady and simply held her. The woman's body jerked and fought the phantom hands, then she became still, quiet, and finally limp. The creature flung the woman aside, into a substantial pile of body. Pausing for a moment, the creature seemed to pulsate for a moment, growing more and more substantial, less vapor like.

"I stand for love and justice, I stand for all the movie critics who have cancelled your show, I give you two thumbs way down. I am Sailor Moon!"

The Outer Scouts stood and watched as the five inner scouts threw everything they had at the strange dark creatures, and never did anymore damage to them then they would have if they were attacking fog.

Saturn felt it first, and odd tingling sensation climbing up her spine, an awareness of someone else in the theater with them. She scanned the room, searching for the odd warmth wrapped in coldness. Her gaze met nothing that she recognized. Scanning the room again she spotted the dark creature that was in mid leap for them. Holding her scythe before her, she leapt in front of the others yelling "Silent Wall!"

The dark creature hit the wall and disappeared in a cloud of black mist. The four Outer Scouts gave up watching the ongoing battle before them, and searched the area around them, hunting for their attacker.

It materialized above them, watching the foolish girls below it, foolish girls with so much dark energy, energy that the dark creatures needed to become stronger. It sank slowly down until it was a mere hands breath above them. Cautiously it sniffing their combined scent and getting a slight high sensation from all of the unbridled power, I must feed on them it thought.

"Extreme Assault!"

The blast of power that followed those words caused all four outer scouts to drop to the floor, as the black and cobalt blue whip of power crashed above their heads, incinerating the dark creature that had been above them.

"She is here!" Saturn cried out as she leapt to her feet, her eyes once again scanning the area, a hopeful smile on her face.

"She's been practicing too, that was a lot stronger then I remember it." Neptune observed as she too climbed to her feet, one hand shielding her eyes from the glow of the movie screen so she could search the shadows.

Their efforts weren't needed as the other Scout dropped into their middle from the balcony above. "Call off your friends, they cannot combat these creatures with their spells of love."

Her words were spoken quickly as she ran up the rows of chairs to the main battle. There had been three dark creatures in the theater, one was destroyed the other two were having a marry time chasing and teasing the Inner Scouts. Jumping high, staff in hand she landed between Jupiter, Venus, and the dark creature that was about to attack them from behind.

"Shadow Defend!" Holding the staff before her, tip to the ground and wall of black shot out before her, that the shadow creature slammed into, before it could turn to vapor and disapear, the Scout pointed her left arm at it and yelled "Extreme Assault!" The creature vanished for good as a black-blue whip lashed through the air where it has floated.

The Outer Scouts ran up the remaining rows, as the last shadow creature vanished into a wall. All the scouts now turned to stare at the new scout who stood at their center.

Her skirt was faded shades of grey to cobalt blue, her shoes were wedge heals with laces that went back and forth all the way up to her knee. She had a small cape that went the length of her skirt, in a grey-blue color, and her hair was streaked blue and purple in spiky torrents around her face, then braded back down to nearly her knees. Her staff was her height, plus a few inches, with intricate carvings running its length, and an odd orb at the top.

The Outer Scouts all smiled and hugged the strange girl, while the Inners stared in shock.

"Welcome back my friend," Pluto said after she embraced the newcomer.

Smiling the other Scout answered, "it has been to long indeed."

"Ok what is going on, who are you?" Sailor Moon asked, hands on hips.

"Yah who do you think you are, we had everything under control!" Jupiter declared.

Smiling the Scout turned to the others, "You would prefer I left? What if they return, do you really think you stood a chance against them?"

"Stop it X, they are grateful, they just aren't used to showing it." Neptune said placing a hand on X's arm.

X smiled back at Neptune, "That's all right, I wasn't expecting them to remember me." She cast one last longing look at Jupiter, before turning her back on the Inner Scouts so she could face the Outer. "I will be in touch." With a wink she leapt to the high balcony and was gone.

Silence followed her departure for a brief moment before pure chaos.

"Who was that?"

"Who does she think she is?"

"What do you mean we should remember her?"

"What were those creatures?"

All the Inner Scouts began speaking at once, and the Outers simply smiled at one another. "She has finally come back to us." Saturn said smiling.

"I hope she hasn't been alone to long." Neptune glanced at Uranus.

"Doesn't matter now, she's back, she has family again." Uranus answered, her fingers interlocking with Neptune's.

Pluto was quiet a long moment, still ignoring the Inner Scouts, "She seemed sad." Her gaze strayed to Jupiter, who was still asking the same questions to the Inner Scouts.

"Are you going to explain any of this to us?" Sailor Moon demanded.

The Outer Scouts turned in unison to the Inners, "Ask Luna, she will be able to explain it better then we can." Uranus said, before turning and walking back up the theater, followed by the other Outer Scouts.

"Ask Luna, how would she know anything about this other Scout if we don't?" Lita's voice followed the Outer Scouts, but they didn't bother to turn and answer.


	2. Chapter 2

After a thousand years of traveling, waiting and training, Azrealella is back on Earth, her once second home. But this isn't a home coming, isn't a friendly visit, she wants revenge for the wrongs done to her family committed by the late Queen Serenity.

"Sailor X, you say, are you quite sure, that was what they called her?" Luna asked, looking skeptically up at the scouts who surrounded her. The Inner scouts had just gotten back to Rey's temple after there run in with the strange shadow creatures. After explaining everything to Luna and Artimus, they wanted some answers.

"That's what they called her, and she said something about us not remembering her." Lita said, the others nodded accent.

Luna looked at Atriums before answering them. "Sailor X, is not a happy story, girls, are you sure you want to hear it?"

Lita, Amy, Rey, Serena and Mina exchanged looks. Amy spoke up first, "She is here now, and we need to know if she is friend or enemy. Please Luna."

Sighing Luna obliged, "Planet X was once thought to be associated with our System. It had an irregular orbit and was never officially recognized by the moon kingdom, though several planets traded with X, they were geniuses when it came to technology, far more advanced then Earth is even now. The royal family had several children, each one more clever and talented then the one before. The youngest child was Azrealella, as strong willed as I have ever heard of. The royal family firmly believed in their children making strong political ties with other ruling families of the time, so the children were constantly visiting other plants. Azrealella spent most of her time either with the outer planets families or on Earth.

"She was only nine when she discovered she was Sailor X. But even then Queen Serenity refused to acknowledge that they were a part of the System, and she never pledged her self to the queen." Luna paused, glancing to Airtimes who nodded. "When the Negaverse attacked, Planet X was the first planet they went after. Her family knew the attack was coming, and sent her alone to warn the rest of the system. It was the only way that she could survive. She went as fast as she could to warn all of her friends and Earth. She even came up with the courage to stand before Queen Serenity, and ask for the Moon Kingdom's protection for her planet."

Luna swallowed, "It was denied. Azrealella left immediately to return home, but it was too late. The Negaverse had destroyed Planet X, reducing it to ash. But not before every person on Planet X participated in a spell, a spell that gave their life force to her, so that she could live forever. They knew there was no chance, and as a planet, made the decision to save their Sailor Scout. When the Negaverse arrived on Planet X, everyone was already dead, so they destroyed the planet out of spite.

"By the time Azrealella learned of the fate of her planet it was to late. Queen Serenity had already cast all the other Scouts forward into the future, and she was alone. The only Scout that she had contact with in all those long years was Sailor Pluto."

Awed silence followed Luna's story, as the Scouts all stared at her. "Why wasn't she accepted?" Serena finally asked in a timid voice.

"Sailor X is the Guardian of Darkness. She is the Dark Scout. Her powers are too dangerous, to unpredictable. Queen Serenity didn't want to risk all of your lives with a Scout who couldn't be trusted." Airtimes answered.

Mina studied the two cats before asking, "Why is it that the Outer Scouts can remember her, but we cant?"

"That's an interesting point, my only guess is that because she spent more time as a child with their families in their last life times, they remember her." Luna studied Mina thoughtfully, but said nothing more.

Rey shook her head, "We should still have some memory of her shouldn't we?"

"None of you remembered you're past life's before I used the Lunar Mind Meld on you. To be honest I didn't remember her until you said her name." Luna truly had forgotten about the lone soldier, her storey was not happy, and had always made her a little upset with Queen Serenity's decision. Azrealella had not asked for the Dark gift, but she was stuck with it.

"So can we trust her?" Mina's question fell like a stone into a pool throwing ripples of doubt into the minds of all the others in the room.

Michele lay on the couch, one leg over the armrest, the other crossed over it. Staring blankly up at nothing she let her mind wander, thinking about the friend that had come back to them. The strange shadow creatures were like nothing she had seen before, and what X had said about not being able to fight them with love magic, worried her. The only scouts that didn't use lighter magic were the outer scouts. Saturn who was capable of destroying an entire planet, Pluto who could stop time, and X who's powers had grown in the past thousand years to a point where only the stars knew what she was capable of.

Amara dropped on the other end of the couch, and began idly combing Michele's hair. "She's here, and yet she isn't. Where could she be living, why isn't she here with us."

Hotaru looked up from where she was reading a book on the floor, stretched out on her stomach, with her heals crossed in the air. "Maybe she doesn't know where we are."

Trista walked in from the kitchen carrying a trey of cookies and drinks for everyone. "When she is ready she will find us, it's enough right now that she is here on Earth and safe for me." She handed around the drinks, and set the plate of cookies on the table. Smiling Hotaru grabbed a cookie and began nibbling around the edges.

"Why don't the others remember her?" Hotaru asked looking over her cookie.

Trista, Amara and Michele exchanged a look. After a brief pause Trista answered. "Queen Serenity sent the others forward, and decided how much they remembered from their past life a thousand years ago." She swallowed hard. "Queen Serenity decided that they did not need to remember her, maybe because she never thought that X would be here when the Scouts came back, or maybe she didn't have anything to do with their memory loss. Maybe X truly was outside of the System, and that's why they have no memory of her."

"We remember her." Hotaru said softly.

Michele sat up, and scouted closer to Amara who wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "We love her Hun. She always called us sisters. Azrealella was the one who made us a family, and never let us forget it." Amara laughed, "all of the stunts that she pulled and managed to get away with, I still find it amazing all the stunts that she dragged us along with her through."

"Do you remember the time she crammed all of us into that little ship of her's and we took off on a girls night out that turned into a week long trip to earth, so that we could surprise Darien on his birthday." Michele began laughing to hard to finish.

Hotaru took up the narrative, "and when we showed up, we scared Darien out of his mind, and he had to hide us in the barn so his parents wouldn't find us."

"Then you all tried to make me push us back in time so that our parents would never know that we had been gone the week. Yes I remember. And if I remember right, we were all grounded for a month, and forbidden to ride in Azrealella's cramped little shuttle ever again." Trista sat cross-legged on the floor next to Hotaru, glaring good-naturedly at Michele and Amara.

"Not that it stopped us, within a week we were back on that cramped piece of work." Amara finished. She turned to Michele and kissed her fondly on the forehead.

"So where is she now?" Hotaru asked looking up at Trista.

Sighing, Trista pushed a lock of hair out of Hotaru's eyes, and shook her head sadly. "I don't know baby, I wish I did. I miss her too."

Azrealella smiled at the man at the desk, "And I will have roof access?"

The man nodded and scratched his balding head, "aye, you will, just up a short flight of stairs, and you're the only one. Just be careful up their young missy, not the safest of neighborhoods."

"I think I can take care of myself, but thank you for your concern." She smiled and hefted her bag back to her shoulder and began climbing up the stairs.

The apartment was on the top floor of the building, but that wasn't what she wanted. She needed to see the stars again. After so long with them as her only companions she didn't feel right without them. She dumped her bag in the apartment, she didn't have much a few changes of clothes, and her toiletries. She had enough jewels and precious stones to sell for anything else she might need. Her small treasure trove that was testament to all the various plants she had visited over the years.

After a quick sweep of the pre-furnished apartment she went up the private flight of stairs to the roof, and felt at home for the first time since setting foot on Earth. It was after dusk, and the sky was a dark blue sprinkled with stars. She knew the name of everyone of them, and the stories that went with the constellations. "I have missed you my friends." She called happily to the night sky. She spent a few hours on the roof, just talking to the sky, telling them of the strange shadow creatures that she had fought, and pondering how they had followed her. She had fought their likeness once before. When she had first arrived on the Sailor Stars home world. She had actually followed them to the Star's world, curious about what they were.

Once there she had helped the Sailor Stars rid their planet of the Dark Shadows. In the process she had made friends with the Princess, and several of the Star's themselves. She had still been there when Galaxia had attacked the world. Azrealella fought along side the Star's against Galaxia's, she had been the one to suggest that the Princess was no longer safe on her home world. Azrealelle and several of the Sailor Stars staged a diversion to give the Princess her chance to escape.

Galaxia attacked full strength, sending every slave she had in her arsenal to gather the star seeds of the out rise. Several Sailor Stars fell in the fight. But it worked and the Princess was safe. Azrealella spent several lifetimes of power to save the fallen Sailor Stars. One of the Stars that she revived didn't think that their Princess was going to be safe enough on earth, so he took two of his most trusted friends and they followed after their Princess.

Galaxia followed them.

Shaking her head Azrealella tore herself from the memories that haunted her dreams. "Thank you for listening my friends, but I must go to sleep, I have a big day tomorrow, my first day of High School! Wish me luck!" She waved one last time to the sky, and went back to her new apartment, and to sleep. That night she dreamed about the love she had lost on the Sailor Stars world, and how much she still loved him.


	3. Chapter 3

Azrealella wandered the crowded halls of High School, totally lost. She had never gone to school before, her family had always taught her, anyone with a lesson to teach had been her teacher. Now she was going to have to go through the regimental world of strict education. The only problem was that not a single subject looked the slightest bit interesting, let alone challenging. She had been studding quantum physics since she knew what it meant. Now she held in one hand the list of advanced placement classes, that didn't seem advanced at all. The other hand had a grip on the bag over her shoulder that held her school supplies and lunch. She had fought some of the scariest looking and strongest scum in the galaxies, and not flinched. Now facing people that were a thousand years younger then herself, she was fighting off nausea, and the strong desire to bolt out the nearest window and run back to her ship.

Still struggling against the crowd of people she hid in a open classroom, and smiled when she saw the door number was the one she had been searching for. She handed her add sheet to the teacher at the front of the room and took a chair in the front row to the far side from the door. The class was Advanced Physics, but everything looked rather basic to her, she flipped through the book, looking at the formulas and theorems that she had known since childhood. When she looked up again she was suppressed to see the rest of the class in the room.

"You must be the new girl, my name is Amy, welcome to our school." Amy said with a bright smile, and extended hand.

Azrealella looked at her hand for a moment before shaking it. "Thank you my name is Azrealella, but everyone calls me Ella."

"Your coming in half way through the year, if you need any help, don't hesitate to ask, I have notes on everything if you need them." Amy said before turning back to the instructor.

Ella stared blankly at Amy for a moment, before turning to the teacher, but a smile tugged her lips, as she realized that she had at least one friend in the school.

At Lunch Ella followed Amy to a shady patch of grass that several other girls were already sitting at. "Hey guys this is Ella, she's new."

Introductions were made around, Serena the blond bubbly one who was eating more then Ella would have thought possible, Lita the tall one who was staring dreamily at the boys sitting in another group not far off, and Mina , who was reading a comic book.

"OOO did you guys here the news!" Mina said half way though lunch, dropping her comic book, and sitting strait up.

Serena swallowed her mouthful of cookie, "what's up Mina, what's new?"

Lita picked up Mina's dropped comic book and froze, "no way!"

"They are having a come back tour! The Star Lights are coming back!" Mina squeaked in joy.

"They are?" Serena said trying to look over Lita's taller shoulder. "When will it be?"

Lita scanned the page as fast as she could, "Should be in a few days! I can't wait!"

"Who are the Star Lights?" Ella's question caused everyone to freeze. She watched them as they all looked at one another, as though deciding what they could and couldn't say around her.

Amy spoke up first, "They are a singing group that used to go to school here, we all knew them."

"Wow you guys really knew a singing group? Like a famous one?" Ella said in awe.

"We more then knew them, Seiya was interested in our Serena." Lita laughed when Serena blushed and looked pointedly at the ring on her left hand.

"I am a one man kind of girl, Darien is all I need." Serena declared.

Ella froze, Darien? That was a common enough name wasn't it? It couldn't be the same person from before, just couldn't. She shook her head, and tried to keep up with the chatter and excitement about the return of their favorite music group, but found it trivial and juvenile. They were just normal people in the end weren't they?

The end of lunch came none to soon, as far as Ella was concerned. She smiled and said farewell to the others, and followed Amy to the next class. Thankfully they had almost every class together, the only exception being gym and English.

The end of the day left Ella exhausted. The walk back to her apartment took the last of her energy, and all she could do was flop on her couch and fall asleep.

Seiya stared out the window, seeing nothing but his own reflection. His thoughts were so muddled he wasn't sure what he was thinking, or running from. They were back on Earth, after seeing their Princes safely back to their home world. After witnessing all that Azrealella had done to heal their home. They had left it a planet in ruins, the buildings rubble, the streams and rivers running with poison, and the fields and forests reduced to ash. They returned to a green healthy planet that was beginning to rebuild its glory.

He had been wrong, he could admit that now. He just hoped it wasn't too late. Yaten and Taiki had been true friends supporting him and going with him to protect their princess. They had withheld their judgment when it came to Seiya and Azrealella, supporting their friend without telling him the truth, that he was a fool. She had really loved him, really meant something to him, and he hadn't trusted her. Hadn't been able to see past his own fears for his Princess and truly see the love of his life that had been before him. She had even given him back his life, by giving him a piece of her own. But he had been blind.

He dropped his gaze and stared at his hands, folded in his lap. She always had warm hands. Closing his eyes he could feel her fingers intertwining with his own, could feel the brush of her arm against his, almost smell the vanilla lavender of his hair. Licking his lips, he strained for the sweetness of her mouth, but found nothing.

"Hey get your head on strait," Taiki said as he settled on the chair across from Seiya, "we have a show to get ready for."

Yaten crossed to the window, "I still don't understand why it is that we are back here performing, we could just try for a normal life."

"That would raise suspicion, we were idles before we left, we should be idles when we return." Taiki said interlinking his fingers behind his head.

"Do you think she is here." Seiya couldn't keep the desperation from his voice.

Yaten left the window and knelt before Seiya, he took his friends hands in his own and looked up at him. "We will find her, she saved all of us." Yaten smiled at Seiya, "we know you love her, just wait for her to wish on a star, then we will know where she is."

"After the way I treated her do you really think she would ever trust another star again?" Seiya asked to no one.

Dark Shadows watched everything that went on in the small planet that it had claimed as its own. The Hunter was here. She had foiled them on their last planet, she had destroyed many Dark Shadows. Had bathed in the blood of their destruction by wading through the ash and soot to rebuild what they had destroyed. She must die, her and those who fought along side her.

The Dark Shadow pushed itself off the wall it had been listing too, these Star Lights, were some rather big news for this small town. Such big rock stars returning to have a reunion concert, that would surly draw attention from plenty of people, and would be the opportune time to attack and draw as much dark energy as it could from the watching people. It might even lure out the Hunter.

Snickering to it self in a sickening way the Shadow crept down the street, feasting on whatever fools were out taking a moon lit stroll. These humans were so easily understood, so easily consumed. There was almost no effort in it, and with each human energy that was ingested, came a new strength and new insight into everything that was going on in the city.

If it weren't for all the energy that these Star Lights could attract for them, it might be in the Shadows best interest to go after them. The shadow gathered itself as another victim walked its way, later, it thought, there would be plenty of time later to go after those singing sensations. For the time being it was so easy to simply float along and enjoy the buffet of human energy that was all around it.

Azrealella laughed openly at the look on Darien's face as he climbed out of the pond, dripping water. She reached a hand out and caught the reins of his horse that had smartly refused the jump. Her own horse, a borrowed leggy hunter could have made the jump with room to spare.

Darien spit a fountain of water aimed at Azrealella and smiled when she misjudged her attempts to get away and had to hug her horse's neck to regain balance. "Now that's not fair, I spent more time off the horse than on him today."

"Serves you right for trying to show off." Azrealella declared. As she handed over his reins.

He took the rains but dropped them, and grabbed her hand instead. Laughing so hard she lost her breath, Azrealella lost the struggle and ended up in his arms. Darien laughed as he marched into the pond with her, was still laughing when he dropped her in the waist deep water.

"AHH Cold!" she declared and tried to run back out, he caught her waist with one arm, and fell, pulling her back into the water.

"I can warm you up," he said with a smile, and kissed her.

The cold forgotten, Azrealella wrapped her arms around his neck and let him support them in the deeper water.

Azrealella had spent her summers on Earth since she was eight, so her friendship with the Prince of Earth, Darien had been unavoidable. But when she was twelve, and he was sixteen, they realized where their friendship was going. She was fourteen before they told their parents of their intentions. But they had not been prepared for the reaction. Azrealella's parents were a little shocked, and non-to happy with the Rulers of Earth. And Darien's parents had simply forbidden them to see one another. Azrealella had been sent home the night of their announcement. She hadn't gone strait home, but had instead gone to their secret meeting place, by a waterfall not far from Darien's home, and waited for him through the night. He didn't come that night, or the next, but on the third night, a messenger arrived with a letter for her.

The letter had been short and to the point, Darien's parents had already arranged a marriage for him with the daughter of Queen Serenity. It was a union that could not be changed. Darien was sorry, and he wished he could make it up to Azrealella, but he had to obey his family's wishes. She left Earth, and vowed to never return. But a few years later, when the Negaverse went after Planet X, and she was sent to warn the others, she had met with Darien and warned him in person.

He smiled and thanked her, and had assured her that the Moon Kingdom would do what it could to protect her and her planet. He also confessed that he had met his intended, and that he was sorry again, that things hadn't worked out between them.

Gasping, Azrealella tore herself from the dream, she hated that memory. Hated seeing his face when Darien told her that he was in love with his future bride. Loathed that even after all these years, she still cared for him at all. Still worried that he was all right, and happy. She still loved him enough to wish him a happy and fulfilling life. She groaned as she rolled off the couch, and wrapped a blanked around herself. Shivering she walked to the window and stared at the stars shinning brightly in the sky.

Love had never been what she was lucky with, she had fallen in love too many times in her long years, to believe that it could be real. The happy fair tails that you saw in movies as a child, were nothing more but tricks to make woman buy beauty products. Even the toys that children played with, the perfect husband and wife sets, that led every little girl to believe that there was a prince charming out there for her, were wraiths of love that could never come true. She stared at the stars, and felt her eyes sting with tears.

'wish upon a star, and find your way' her brother Lazmere had always said.

"Well Lazmere, I wished, and I found a way, and I followed that star, and made the mistake of falling for him. Now he's not here, and I am alone again. I am so alone." She dropped her face to her chest, and grieved again for the family she had lost so long ago. She cried herself to sleep, and thankfully dreamt no more for the night.

"Did you guys catch the news last night?" Rey asked before sitting down at the head of the small table where they had there books laid out to study.

Serena looked up from the comic book she had hidden in her English book asking, "News eww who would want to watch that, its so boring."

Amy quickly grabbed the comic book and threw it under the table before Serena looked back down. "I did, how many people did they say were affected?"

"I thought they said something about 30 something, but the number may have gone up since I heard anything." Lita said, placing a bowl of popcorn on the table.

Serena dove for the bowl happily consuming handful after handful. "So," she swallowed a bite, "what was it, what's going on?"

"Hey don't eat it all, I want some," Mina declared as she grabbed her own handful of popcorn.

"Ok back to the important issue," Rey attempted to get the conversation going back to what was really important. "The news was going off about a park not far from here where all the people that were walking in last night, turned up in a coma. They were all rushed to the hospital as soon as they were found, but nothing seems to be working, and no one knows what is going on."

Luna looked up from where she was curled up on a pillow, "Could this have anything to do with that shadow creature that you fought the other night?"

"Good call Luna," Artimus said, then turning to the Scouts he asked, "you never did tell us how you defeated it, or really anything about the battle it self, were the Outer's there to help?"

"Sort of" Serena admitted, but went back to eating her popcorn.

Lita frowned, "Everything we threw at the shadow creatures just kind of went through them. Nothing worked, not even Serena's attacks."

"Well if they are dark creatures as you said, perhaps they can only be purified, did you try the Therapy Kiss?" Artimus asked.

Serena looked up, and sniffed sadly, "I tried everything, and nothing worked, those monsters just vanished. Then they would appear and again as if nothing happened."

"I agree it was like trying to fight vapor, one moment it was there the next gone. It was most peculiar." Amy interjected, folding her hands over her homework.

"Whatever they were they sure didn't like X." Mina commented. "She had some sort of a whip attack, that encircled them, and then they just crumbled into black dust."

Luna and Artimus exchanged a look, "X's attacks on them worked?" the girls nodded, "It's a dark creature that can only be fought with dark attacks. Oho dear, we are going to have a problem then. Sailor X is the only Scout capable of wielding Dark attacks."

"That's right Luna, if anyone else tried to, it would be to difficult to control." Artimus said.

Mina looked up from the popcorn bowl, "are you saying that the only one that can fight and kill these creatures is Sailor X?"

"Afraid so Mina," Artimus answered.

"And we still don't know if we can trust her." Lita whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

After one week on Earth, Azrealella believed that she was entitled to a vacation. It was so difficult to watch her mouth in school, they were so primitive here, what they called technology, she called child's play. Her physics teacher had moved her to the back of the room, believing that she was copping off of Amy, which was ridicules since she had gotten a better score then Amy on the exam, but the teacher didn't see it that way. Her math teacher must have spoken to her physics teacher because she was sent to another room to take her tests. Nothing was what it would have seemed, Amy and her friends were all giggly after this concert they were all going to on Friday, and she got the distinct impression that she was not invited. The girls even had back stage passes.

Well that was fine, she didn't want to go see a concert anyway. She had been here long enough it was time that she sat down and had a meeting with the Outer Scouts. Though she wasn't sure where to look.

After class on Friday she went to the small park, and walked around the lake, settling finally one a bench to think. This was the same park where they had found all the victims. Those people were recovering finally, something about sever exhaustion and dehydration. She knew what had caused it, had seen its effects on the Sailor Stars world, she had helped heal the Stars that had been attacked, and could still feel the strange dark taint that seemed to get under your skin and itch with no cure.

The park was quiet now, few people braving to enter it now. Azrealella looked around once more before pulling out the necklace she wore, it was simple enough, a heart locket and a key. But looks could be deceiving, it was a time key. The necklace was how She had kept in touch with Sailor Pluto all those years. She held the silver in her hand and closed her eyes, _my friend in solitude I need you now, where are you?_

Opening her eyes, Azrealella smiled before she turned her head. She could feel Trista's presence.

"I have been waiting for you to contact me," Trista said as she approached the bench, she smiled at her friend. "How has your week been?"

Azrealella raised an eyebrow and laughed at her friend, "exausting!" She patted the bench beside her, "you could have warned me you know."

"About what?"

"School?" Azrealella's voice shot up on the last part of the word. "I mean come on its insane, what is the point of it! I learned so much more on my own then those pencil brained morons could ever understand."

Trista smiled, "you are a breed all your own, you enjoy that crazy stuff that you call 'light reading'." Snorting she continued, "I have never heard of quantum chemistry as light reading before."

"Hey that was genuinely interesting." Azrealella laughed, "A thousand years, and we are still having the same argument."

Trista shared her smile "its good to have you hear, the others want to see you."

"I am eager to see them too, have there been any more attacks?" Azrealella asked as she stood.

Trista stood too, "none that we have heard of, but we should coordinate with the Inner Scouts on this."

Eyes narrowed Azrealella turned to her, "why bring them into this, they don't know anything about fighting dark things."

"Maybe not, but they have a right to know what is going on." Trista said in a pleading tone.

"You think they would be so kind?" Azrealella didn't wait for an answer, "where are the others?"

Trista turned and led the way. They took a taxi most of the journey, but were silent. Azrealella didn't want to fight with her friend, but didn't want to hear that the Inner Scouts were worth her concern. As far as she was concerned, they couldn't be trusted. She could feel their presence before she got out of the cab, and found the walk to the front door excruciating. She had seen them a few nights ago, but that had been official business this was friendship, sisterhood, this was heaven.

As soon as the front door opened and Hotaru came running out, Azrealella was on her knees, Hotaru ran right into her arms. She held her youngest friend and felt the stinging of tears, but it didn't matter. She was home. It didn't matter that she had never been here before in her long life, she could hear the voices of her friends, and feel the warmth of there presence. She was among those who loved her, and trusted her.

The reunion was brought inside, where Azrealella found a comfortable seat on the couch, with Hotaru next to her, and Michele on the other side. After a long embrace with Amara, she settled on the recliner, with Trista sitting on the armrest.

"I hate to be the one to end the fun, but lets get down to business." Amara declared after they had all enjoyed a few laughs from their past.

Azrealella smiled at Amara and her authority. She was different in this life, more assertive.

"These shadow creatures have you ever seen their likes?" Trista asked.

Head down, Azrealella answered. "I have seen them before, and I have fought them before. They call themselves, Dark Shadows. They feed on the negative energy that is in everyone. That's why I said they cant be hurt by love spells, they don't believe in love, or light, they exist only in the dark. That's why they wont ever attack by day."

"Where did you see them before now?" Hotaru asked, her head resting on Azrealella's shoulder.

Azrealella stroked her hair, and smiled at Hotaru. "The planet I was on before this also had Sailor soldiers, they called them selves Sailor Stars." Her head snapped up, when she heard the angry growl come from Amara. "Have they been here then?"

"They were here, looking for their Princess, which they found and left." Amara stood up, and began to pace. "That little wretched on kept flirting with Serena, like he stood a chance with her. He had no right to go near her, she is engaged. What a little weasel he was."

"That's a yes, they were here and yes we met them." Michele said with a sympathetic smile.

Frowning Azrealella apologized, "I had no idea they would be this much trouble I am so sorry."

Amara stopped in her pacing and stared at her, "explain."

"I was the one who told their Princess to come here to hide, I thought she would be safe. I didn't mean to cause you grief. I just wanted to help." Azrealella looked at her lap.

"You knowingly sent them here, with the chance that Galaxia would follow them?" Trista clarified.

"No Galaxia didn't follow her, she didn't follow until she had nearly wiped out half of the Sailor Stars forces. Then she followed, I couldn't go then I had to much healing to do." Azrealella pleaded with them.

"Healing, you mean life restoring don't you." Trista pounced on the word. "Azrealella, you know that's risky, one time your going to give away your own life! What were you thinking, how many did you save?"

Azrealella glared at her defiantly, "most were just hurt only a few perished. One of them came here, he called himself Sailor Star Fighter. And it's a worthy risk, trying to save someone's life."

"You saved Fighter's life? Why he's the scum that was after Serena!" Amara said as she paced past the couch again.

Azrealella shook her head this was getting out of hand, this was supposed to be a friendly meeting. Not her defending all her past actions.

"Enough Amara, she didn't know. I am sure it was not her intention to put us in danger." Michele said. Azrealella cast her a small smile of thanks, Michele winked in return.

"Why don't we focus on the new problem? Those Dark Shadows?" Hotaru spoke up, she didn't like fighting.

Trista glared at Azrealella but said no more, Amara finished her pacing and settled back on her chair, and the room breathed a sigh of relief. "What more do you want to know?" Azrealella asked.

"Everything, how are they killed, what are they after, what can we do to protect ourselves." Trista said.

Azrealella took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "They are killed by dark power, they are after the negative energy inside of every human, they can hide in any shadow, or patch of shade, they can materialize out of thin air. You can protect yourselves by staying in the light, or by being a creature of darkness your self." She paused, "they are afraid of me, they call me the 'Hunter' because I was able to kill them on the Star's planet."

"They can only be killed by darkness? That's the only weapon against them?" Hotaru asked.

Azrealella smiled at her, "none of you have anything to worry about, they wont come near you. I told you they are afraid of me, and you have all been around me enough that if they catch your scent they will flee."

"That's not enough! We need to be able to fight them to combat them!" Amara declaired.

"Our attacks are not as love based as the Inner Scouts, surly that will help some wont it?" Trista asked.

Azrealella thought for a moment before answering. "Your attacks should be enough to hold them at bay, I am not sure if you can kill with them."

"So that's it?" Hotaru asked looking up at Azrealella. "We defend until you can come help us?"

Azrealella hugged her, "I wont let anything happen to my sisters."

The sidewalks were crowded with excited fans all straining to get a glimpse of the Three Lights as they made there come back performance. The stadium had sold out in under ten minuets.

Rey pushed angrily against a man to make room for the others, "move over man we have backstage passes!"

"Yah! Really important people coming through here!" Mina said as she pushed through with Rey.

Amy, Serena and Mina followed slightly less sedated. "Its too bad Darien couldn't come, I am sure he would have liked to meet them." Amy yelled to Serena over the crowd.

"He has to study, he's still working towards his masters, and you know how dedicated he is." Serena said as she dodged another elbow.

"Come one move it gramps! I want to see the Three Lights!" Rey demanded.

After several more grunts, bumps and a few bruises they made their way to the front of the crowd, where they proudly flashed their backstage passes and were admitted.

"Well that was an ordeal." Amy commented as they made their way down the silent corridor.

"It was at that," Mina said, "Uhh did anyone think to ask for directions?"

They were lost in the maze of catacombs under the theater before they knew it. They wandered for almost twenty minutes before they heard the opening chords of the Three Lights first songs.

"We are going to miss it!!!" Lita yelled, and charged off in whatever direction she was pointed in.

Sighing the others followed her. "Water." Serena begged, but was ignored by the others as they went chasing after Lita.

The concert was in the third song before they saw the light from the stage, just up a flight of frighteningly high stairs.

"Water." Serena begged again, and was again ignored as they began the climb. The fourth song was coming to an end as they made the top of the stairs and could see the concert. Rey, Mina, Lita and Amy cheered, and Serena fell at their feet, begging again for "water". They watched the rest of the concert from the wings, and cheered on the group as loudly as they could.

"They look better then I remember." Mina said as she danced along to the music.

Rey was clapping in time, "I wonder if the Princess came back with them?"

"Who cares, they are here!" Lita said, jumping up and down.

With their side stage vantage point the girls couldn't see the audience, or what was going on out there. But the Star's could, starting at the back of the theater, the audience began going silent, and still.

Seiya, glanced over at Taiki for confirmation, as he struck the chords for another song, Taiki nodded, but narrowed his eyes. They remembered the Dark Shadow from when its forces attacked their world, but they were not expecting to see it here, so were slow to believe what they saw.

The Shadow crept low over the back crowd, selecting its victims with care. The screams of those near the shadow mixed with the excited screams of the fans, till it was just one noise.

Yaten was the first one to stop singing and stare at the great cloud forming over the theater's audience. Seiya and Taiki followed suit, and they stared at the shadow creature, stronger then they had yet seen. A large security guard ran on stage and ushered them off, telling them they had to hide, and protect themselves.

As they were rushed past the girls, they dragged them with them. In their dressing room, Amy, Rey, Mina, Lita and Serena just stared at them.

"What happened?" Amy asked, as Serena dragged herself over to the sink and began drinking out of the faucet.

"You didn't see it?" Taiki asked, pacing across the room.

"See what?" Rey asked.

Yaten, Seiya and Taiki looked between each other before answering. "You didn't see the Dark Shadows that were in the theater, consuming the energy of the audience?"

"We couldn't really see anything from the wings other then you-" Lita began.

"What do you mean consuming the audience energy?" Rey demanded. "You saw it? You saw a shadow monster?"

"They are called Dark Shadows, and yes we saw it." Yaten said, "They are hard to miss."

"Is it still out there?" Serena asked, then drank another mouthful of water.

Seiya glanced to the others before answering, "I would assume it is."

"Then come on we have to go protect those people!" Lita said as she rushed for the door.

Taiki got to it first, and blocked her path, "you are no match for those monsters, you can't fight them and neither can we."

"Well we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Serena said pushing at Taiki's arm, it didn't budge.

"Serena you don't understand, we cant fight those Shadows, our powers do nothing against them. If you go out there, in the dark, then you are sighing up to be on the dinner list." Seiya said coming over to the door.

Rey began pacing, "Then what do we do wait in here until we die of starvation?"

"No," Yaten said with a head shake, "the lights will burn out before that happens and the Shadows will get in here."

Lita charged over to Taiki, "I would rather go out fighting then sit in here and wait for them to find me."

"Me too." Rey charged across the room.

Taiki stared at them, "You don't understand what it is that you're going up against." He shifted his weight so he was more in front of the door, "It may not just drain your energy it can kill you. We have seen it!"

"Where?" Amy asked.

"They attacked our home world, we wouldn't have survived if Sailor X hadn't shown up." Seiya admitted.

The girls stared at him in stunned silence. "Sailor X was on your home world? How!" Rey asked after the pause.

"She's here then?" Seiya asked with relief. He sat down hard in the chair next to him his head in his hands. "We found her."

"Well she needs to find us or we are going to have a problem." Yaten said sitting next to Seiya.

Taiki surveyed the Scouts, wondering if they were serious about trying to fight the shadows. "If Sailor X is here, where is she, why is she not with you?"

Serena looked embarrassed, "We don't know where she is, she just showed up the once, and we haven't seen her since, and anyway we don't know if we can trust her."

"Not trust her? You're a fool to not trust her." Seiya said as he leapt from the chair, the strain showing plainly on his face.

Serena stared at him, then glanced at the others. "I would still rather die fighting. Lets go!"

Taiki let them out, then turned to Seiya, "If she is here, she will come save us."

"If she has forgiven me." Seiya said sadly.


	5. Chapter 5

Trista's phone began to beep in an odd pattern, she glanced at it then opened it and hit a button, "your on speaker phone Luna what's going on?"

The other Scouts were silent as they turned to Trista and her phone.

"Urgent girls! Thos shadow monsters are back and the other scouts have already engaged them in battle! They are at the theater where the Three Lights were performing tonight! Please hurry!" Luna said in her gravely voice.

There was a brief moment of silence before everyone was running in the direction of the door.

"Where is this theater? Azrealella asked as she took off at a run down the street.

"We can travel faster by car." Michele called after her.

The car was indeed faster, but still took them time. Azrealella spent the quick journey in sheer fear, why were those other scouts such fools to fight the Shadows when they knew they could not win? She didn't wait for the car to come to a complete stop, simply leapt out of it, and jumped, she transformed mid air as she nearly flew to theater.

What they saw when they got there was devastating, hundreds of people lying on the ground or seated in their chairs, all their energy drained. Azrealella glared at the scene and leapt to the stage. It was quiet to quiet for her taste. If the Scouts were fighting then there should be some noise, anything. But she didn't hear anything. She turned to face the others who were making their way down the stands to the stage. "Where are they."

Uranus shook her head, and jumped the few feet to the stage, "Luna said here."

Saturn stared at the side of the stage, "Hey there is a stair case here that goes down, you think they are down there?"

"I will check it out, I want you to stay up here in the light got me?" X said, staff in hand she descended the stairs before she waited for there agreement. The catacombs were vast, leading in several directions, X stopped and simply listened at the foot of the stairs. There was noise coming from the path to the left, so left she went. The farther she traveled the more certain she was this was the right way. She could feel the resonance of lighter attacks heavy in the air. She rounded a corner and hugged the wall, there was only one Shadow that she could see, but he was darker then she had ever seen. Well if he had fed on all those humans then it made sense that he would be so strong.

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" X heard, followed by snickering of the shadow.

"Foolish" the Shadow rasped, "All of you are foolish, all of you will die." The sound was as soft as a wind over a log opening, and frightening enough to freeze the sweat on X's brow.

She rounded the corner at a run "Extreme Assault!" Lashing out with her left hand, a whip like action struck the Shadow across the chest, leaving a cobalt blue whip line.

The Inner Scouts froze at the sight of her, she charged, staff held high. With one quick leap she was between the Scouts and the Shadow.

"How did you-" Sailor Moon began, but was cut off.

Slamming the staff end into the ground and yelling "Shadow Defend", X glanced over her shoulder and told them to run, up the stairs. "There isn't enough room down here to maneuver, get out of here!"

The Shadow charged her wall, and she spun back to face it. Ever blow the Shadow made to the wall, was like a physical blow to X. She grimaced, and poured more power into her defensive attack. "Run" she yelled to the scouts, "I will follow."

The Scouts finally took off, running up the stairs, to the safety of above.

Glaring at the single Scout the shadow grumbled, "You cost me a fine meal, now you must replace it." It charged her wall again, knocking her staff tip from the ground and causing the spell to disappear.

"Miss me that much Shade? Well consider this a welcome back present!" X yelled, "Extreme Assault!" The whip wrapped around the Shadow, binding it temporarily. X ran, as fast as her legs could carry her around the corner, down the corridor and up the stairs.

"Sailor X!" Saturn, Pluto, Uranus and Neptune yelled as she reached the top of the stairs.

"It wont hold it long, get out of here!" Sailor X gasped. The Inner Scouts were braced and ready for combat. "What's wrong with you lot, get going! You can't fight it!"

"We can't leave you here to die either." Sailor Moon said, bracing to fight. The Inner Scouts flanking her, also prepared to fight.

The Shadow chose that moment to make itself known, creeping up the stair case, and surrounding the Inner Scouts.

"Move, Move, Move" X yelled as she charged towards the Inner Scouts. They didn't understand and braced themselves as though X was going to attack them.

"No!" Sailor Moon yelled when Jupiter was lifted in the air by the shadow.

"You chose to interfere, for the last time little Scout. Now your life is mine." The Shadow said. Jupiter fought, struggling against the water vapor like sensation that was suffocating her.

"Do something!" Sailor Moon yelled, grabbing X's arm, "Please it is hurting her!"

"I cant! If I attack while it has her, I will hit her too!" X said glaring at Sailor Moon.

They watched collectively in terror as the Shadow drained Jupiter of her energy and then her life force. It only took seconds, yet if felt like years, hearing Jupiter's cries grow weaker, then no more. When at last the Shadow dropped Jupiter to the ground, X was beyond anger. She was to the insane rage that had the oddest calming effect on her. Everything was moving in slow motion, she saw but it was as though she were observing from a distance, and not participating.

Venus and Mars attacked the shadow, who dodged their attacks by simply disappearing, causing the attacks to go through the air and struck the opposite scout. Sailor Moon sat with Jupiter's head in her lap, crying. Mercury gathered her self for an attack, but never got the words out. Uranus and Neptune attacked before she could, both their spells did little damage, but it was enough to slow the creature.

X held her staff in both hands above her head, and began to spin it, then with her left hand moving freely, the staff balanced on her rite hand, still spinning, she said "Ebony Encircle!" The staff stopped mid spin on her hand, her left hand circled back, and the right hand brought the staff to her left side, waist high. A ebony beam shot from the end of her staff and enveloped the Shadow in darkness. She smiled grimly as the darkness shrank, slowly crushing the Shadow. She didn't hear the cries of the other scouts, didn't see her friends fighting a smaller Shadow that had appeared. Every part of her being was focus on the Shadow caught in her Ebony trap, if she so much as looked away the spell would be broken, and the Shadow stood a chance of escaping. Her eyes began to water from the strain of focusing, but the Ebony was doing its duty, fight fire with fire, or in this case, fight darkness with darkness.

"She's dead, someone help!" Sailor moon yelled, breaking X's concentration. Tearing her gaze from the Shadow, broke the attack, and the Shadow vanished along with X's ebony spell.

"Dam it got away," X muttered, before turning to where Sailor Moon sat cradling Jupiter's head. Mercury knelt with them, trying to catch Jupiter's pulse.

The calming rage was gone, and chaos reined in full. She saw the Inner Scouts gathering around Sailor Moon, and the Outer Scouts checking the shadows, and around the stage in case the Shadow should return.

The walk to Sailor Moon felt like a lifetime, with every step, there seemed to be more cause for panic, Mercury couldn't find a pulse, and began searching for a breath. Step.

Saturn found and fought a small Shadow.

Step.

Mercury couldn't feel any breath coming from Jupiter.

Step.

Mars began CPR.

Step.

Neptune and Pluto helped Saturn destroy the small Shadow.

With a final stumbling step X stood above Jupiter's body. "Please," she said to the Inner Scouts. "Please." She repeated when they simply stared at her blankly. "Leave her be for a moment, please."

Sailor Moon stared at her, "We are trying to save her! What do you mean leave her alone."

Pluto was suddenly next to X, "You cant, you don't know what it will do to you." X didn't even turn to look at her. "X, please don't."

"And let her die?" X demanded tearing her gaze from Jupiter to stare at Pluto in shcok. "Pluto you know I cant. Even if there is a risk to myself." They stared at each other for an immeasurable length of time. "She's one of us Pluto, I can't let her go. She's a sister." Her voice cracked on the last word. "Please Pluto understand, and make them understand."

Pluto closed her eyes, her head lowered. When she looked back at X, there were tears in her eyes, "You be careful." She whispered to X. "Sailor Moon let go of her, Mars step back."

"What?" They asked in unison.

"Please you will understand." Pluto said, and she turned to X.

Reluctantly Sailor Moon set Jupiter's head down, and scouted back, a little. Mars stepped back, but remained close enough to reach Jupiter is she needed to.

X closed her eyes, her staff in her right hand, she whispered, "Immortal Divide." And a blast of white engulfed her, surrounding her in a white blanket of the softest down texture. The white went from surrounding her to becoming a concentrated point at her breast level, in the shape of a star. As the Scouts watched, a single drop of pure white fell off of that star and hit Jupiter on the forehead. All focus was suddenly on Jupiter as she began to stir, no one noticed that X had staggered off the stage and collapsed near the stairs. No one but Saturn, who went to her side.

"X?" Saturn asked her still form, "Sailor X, come on Azrealella, talk to me." Saturn knelt by her, and shook X's form.

Slowly as though it took a great effort, X raised her eyes to Saturn's face, and smiled. "Saturn, I am sorry little love, it takes more out of me every time." She closed her eyes for a moment before looking at Saturn again, "I will be fine, just don't tell Pluto all right?"

Saturn nodded, and helped X to her feet. Together, they walked back to the main stage, where Jupiter was sitting up, smiling and laughing with the Inner Scouts, who were all laughing and crying at the same time.

"Now seems like as good as time as any to exit, what do you think Saturn?" X asked the younger Scout.

"I think Jupiter should thank you." Saturn said stubbornly.

"As long as she is alive, and well, that is all the thanks I need." X said, and with Saturn's help, they left the theater.

Jupiter laughed up at the Inner Scouts, "I thought I was a goner for sure, saw the white light and everything."

"You were a goner, then Sailor X did something, your fine, I don't know what happened but I am glad your all right," Sailor Moon said as she hugged Jupiter tight.

Pluto looked to Neptune and Uranus and frowned, "That was foolish of X to do, she doesn't know how much life she has left, one time it's going to be to much." Pluto said to the two other scouts.

"Like she said, she's a sister, even if she doesn't remember, Jupiter is still an outer planet, she's one of us." Uranus commented.

"Where did X get to anyways?" Neptune asked, looking around.

Uranus shrugged, "I saw her and Saturn heading towards the parking lot I am sure they are waiting by the car or headed home already. "That didn't take too much out of her did it? All the fighting, then that divide thing?"

"If it did, she's too proud to ever let us know." Pluto answered as she followed Neptune and Uranus back to the car. Leaving the Inner Scouts in their joy of getting Jupiter back.

Back at her small apartment Azrealella felt some what better, especially after the extra hot bath, and large cup of Spearmint tea. After the bath she wrapped herself in a large soft robe she had bought the other day, made a second cup of tea, and climbed the stairs to roof. She had quite a story to tell the stars tonight. After her first night in her apartment she had brought the sofa up to the roof, for a comfortable place to lay and converse with her friends. Tonight she lay back, and simply stared at them for a long time. Listing to the silence of their life's, and envying them for there unity.

"Tonight my friends, I got to save another's life, by giving them a piece of mine. Lita and I used to be the best of friends. We used to race all over Jupiter in her families speeders. Get in to all kinds of trouble." She paused letting the smile fade from her lips, "When she went to the Moon Kingdom for her official training, I was so jealous. I wanted so bad to go, but the Moon Kingdom had a think against Planet X. When I saw her after her training began, we still had fun, but it was different. She was always concerned about what the others would think that she was spending time with me. We saw less and less of each other after that.

"But tonight, I didn't have to think about it, she's still my sister, even if she cant remember that vow we made so long ago. I still love her." Azrealella caught her lower lip in her teeth as she began to cry again. "I know why Queen Serenity removed me from their memory, but it still hurts," she curled into a ball on the couch, her cup of tea long forgotten where it sat by her elbow. "Stars how it hurts." She rocked herself back and forth, letting the tears flow freely.

"Star light Stars so bright, please please, bring me my love tonight." She whispered the wish to her self, not even sure if the stars would hear it. S he just didn't want to be alone tonight, she needed to be with someone who loved her. Not that love had ever been her strong suit, she always ended up hurt, or forgotten. Her crying began again stronger, and lasted until she fell asleep, fully exhausted.

The stars were listening to their friend that night, and quickly carried her message to the person they knew she needed the most. The stars were an ancient method of communication, all you had to do was tell them your wish, or want or message, and they would do there best to deliver it. Tonight the message was simple. They found the needed recipient gave him the message and directions and settled in to watch the show.

Azrealella woke a few hours later, and stretched, which knocked over the cup of tea. She laughed at herself and picked up the ceramic cup, luckily it hadn't broken. She stood, and wrapped her robe more tightly around herself, against the slight chill of the night. The city below her was asleep, and the stars were shinning there brightest. She closed her eyes and imagined that she was back on her small ship, flying about the constellations, free of the worries of a student, and the life of a Sailor Scout.

She could smell him before she heard him or even sensed his presence. Warily she realized she must be more exhausted then she had before realized, if he was able to get that close to her and her not notice. The warm scent of sandalwood washed over her, like an aphrodisiac. Warming her in the most sensual way, and refreshing an exhausted mind. He didn't speak, didn't need to she knew who it was, knew the feel of his hands, as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her from behind. She leaned back into his chest, enjoying the warmth he provided. Closing her eyes she felt protected, safe and secure. When she turned her head to the side, she felt his lips against her own, and savored the taste that lingered.

Seiya lowered his lips to nibble and suck on her exposed neck. One of Azrealella's arms reached back and ran her fingers though his hair.

"Azreal," He whispered, just before kissing her lips again. His right hand drifted to her waist and inside her robe, gently he squeezed her left breast. She sighed into his mouth, encouraging him to explore.

Still kissing him, Azrealella turned to face him, her arms wrapped around his neck. She leaned into him, needed the warmth to prove that he was real, and not a part of her dreams. She pulled back a little and just looked at him, searching his eyes. "You found me. They told you, and you found me." Her voice was rough with exhaustion.

He could have said anything, could have told her he loved her, could have told her that he would have searched the stars for her for a thousand years, instead he said the one thing that melted any resistance she had. "I trust you Azreal, I will forever."

Smiling she surrendered to him in every way a woman could.

When Azrealella had arrived on the Stars planet, she had been immediately engulfed in the battle with the Shadows, she hadn't thought, didn't need to plan, just launched herself headlong into the fighting. She earned several friends with her selflessness, and her attacks drew many compliments from even the hardest of hearts. When the Shadows were defeated, and the Princess offered her a place to stay, Azrealella had accepted willingly. It had been several years since she had stayed in the same place for any length of time. So she settled into their society and their life, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of their world.

She learned how the stars worked as a message service, relaying information from one side of the Galaxy to another in the space of a thought. Azrealella even accepted the courtship of one the Sailor Stars. In human form he was tall handsome, and confident. In Star form he was beautiful and glamorous. Azrealella was attracted to him from the start. Seiya and her made quiet an attractive couple and the sight of them together in the city of the Princess's palace was no longer cause for gossip when Galaxia attacked.

Some of the stars had begun to doubt Azrealella's sincerity when she said she meant them no harm. Too many saw her arrival as too timely to the Shadows', and now Galaxia's attack to not be with them. Some of the Stars protested her idea of sending the Princess to Earth for her protection. And the rumors began. How could they be sure that their Princess was going to be safe on another planet, how could they trust this other Sailor Scout. What if she wanted to send their Princess off to her death.

It was the Princess herself who agreed to leave for Earth that settled the argument for the time. But even after fighting side by side with her against Galaxia's slaves, after watching her grieve over Fighter's Dead body before she was able to bring him and the others back to life, the doubt lingered.

Azrealella had held strong in her faith that sending the Princess was the safest course of action, until it was Fighter who doubted her. The last time they spoke on the Stars world had been a fight, that had sent him after his Princess, and left her with a heart in pieces.

She stayed with the remaining stars and fought off the last of Galaxia's slaves, partly because it was the right thing to do, and partly because she was to scared to get in her ship and head to earth. She longed to see Seiya, and feared drastically for what would happen when she did. Did he still hate her? Or did he understand that she was genuine in her desire to help?

Now standing with his arms around her, and his mouth sucking so gently at her ear she could hardly belief that the past was real. She moaned in genuine pleasure when Seiya slid the robe from her shoulders, and savored every touch of his skin to hers for the rest of the evening. The only witness was the stars shinning in the sky. But whom would they tell?


	6. Chapter 6

Feeling the warmth behind her and around her, Azrealella did everything she could to not wake up, to prolong the sensation of being safe, and loved. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to take a mental picture of this moment to remember forever. The strong scent of him, sandalwood, mingled with the vanilla from her shampoo. The weight of his arm around her waist, claiming her as his, warming her in a odd pleasant way.

"If you make that face long enough it will stick that way forever." Seiya sounded amused

Azrealella opened one eye a crack, an embarrassed smile tugging at her lips. He was leaning over her slightly, and gently moved a lock of hair back from her shoulder before kissing the shoulder. Her eyes closed again, and she arched her back, leaning further into him.

"Your really here aren't you?" She didn't need an answer, didn't expect one.

Seiya looked up at her, through his long eyelashes, giving her shoulder one last lick he raised his head and smiled at her. "I am here, and I am not leaving unless you send me away."

Azrealella smiled at him, "would it be sending you away if I wanted breakfast?"

"Not at all, I would be pleased to get you some." Seiya sat up more, causing the couch to squeak a little.

"You learned how to cook?" Azrealella asked in shock, she sat up as well, folding her legs under her, as she fumbled for the robe from the night before.

Seiya stood, then turned and leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips, "No but I make great reservations."

The food had been fantastic, the service great, the crowd of adoring fans that seemed to appear out of thin air like a Shadow, annoying. Azrealella had never eaten a meal while hundreds of people tried to take her picture because she was eating with one of the Three Lights. "You could have waned me you know." She had growled when the crowd began to form.

"Would you have gone out to eat with me if I had?" His common sense question had earned him a gently elbow to the ribs, which made him smile.

After the drama of breakfast, the long walk back to her apartment was soothing, except for the people that stopped on the side walk to stared at them, open-mouthed. "When did you become so famous?"

"When we were here last. Our idea was that the Princess would hear our song, and find us, or at least know that we were here looking for her." Seiya answered.

Azrealella chewed this over for a few steps before saying, "I never heard you sing before, sing-the shower doesn't count." She added before he could interrupt her, "Could I go to one of your shows? I want to see Maker and Healer too, they were always so nice to me." What she didn't say rested heavy in the air, that they had been kind to her when he was being a total prick.

"Are you asking for an apology for the past?" He didn't look at her just stared strait forward.

"I got it already," when he glanced down at her she smiled, "last night, that was the best bout of make up sex I have ever had!"

Seiya stared at her a moment, then burst out laughing, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

They walked in peace for a few blocks, only the occasional passerby staring at them. Seiya was hesitant to break the peace, but knew it wouldn't get any easier. "Azreal, there is something that we need to talk about."

"I already know." She answered in a dreamy voice.

"You do?" Seiya chanced a glance down at her, noticing that she had her eyes closed, and was blissfully letting him guide her.

"Girls talk you know, the others told me that you hit on Sailor Moon when you where here last. And technically we were broken up, so I take no offence." Azrealella answered.

Seiya blushed, he had hoped to keep that from her forever, but as she said, girls talk. They walked a few moments in peace before he started again. "Not about that." He chanced a look down and saw her looking up at him. Taking a deep breath he made the plunge, "you have to talk to Sailor Moon, they have this misconception that your dangerous," he blushed, "that they cant trust, you. Please talk to her, she will understand."

She grew very still, and stopped walking. Seiya stood holding her, but felt her withdrawal, not physically, but withdrawal all the same. "I am dangerous."

"No your not, not in that way." Seiya said, gently shaking her shoulders.

She didn't look at him, "You know the really reason that I always wanted to come back to Earth? Always wanted to see the Inner Scouts again?" Her eyes locked on his, and he saw the turmoil in her mind, "I should have been accepted by Queen Serenity, my planet should have been able to have the h-honor, of claiming a Scout in the service of the Moon Kingdom. But twice, Twice, I stood before the queen and asked to join her court, and twice, I was denied. I was the Guardian of Darkness, and could never serve in the kingdom of light."

She pushed back from him, needing space, needing air. "I don't care if they ever trust me. Maybe its best they don't."

"what are you saying?" Seiya asked.

"Their old Queen is the reason that my planet is gone. Sailor Moon is the reason that I lost the first love of my life, and according to the Outers, how I almost lost the last." Seiya paled when he realized she was talking about him. "And you want me to go make nice with her?" She searched his face for a moment before heading in the direction of her apartment again, at a brisk walk.

"Azreal," he grabbed her arm to stop her, and she fought him for a moment before collapsing against him, gasping for breath.

"You ask the impossible." She whispered.

Gently stroking her back, he cradled her against him, "I knew nothing of your past with her." He held her a moment longer before asking, "What do you plan to do?"

She clung to him, needing his support to keep on her feet, "I thought of nothing but revenge for so long, now that I am so close, I am to afraid to do anything." Squeezing her eyes shut she admitted out loud for the first time in her life, "I still want approval from the Moon Kingdom, the one thing that Planet X was denied all those years ago." She looked up at him, tears flowing freely down her face, "Am I a fool to want something so unsubstantial?"

He gently wiped the tears from her face, and pulled her chin up to his face, kissing her softly on the lips he answered, "you are not a fool, you are a servant of the System that has always forsaken you, taken you for granted. I think it is time that you got some recognition."

She nodded, and clung to him even harder, "what if I can't control my self, I still want revenge for my family."

He began walking, conscious of the people that were still watching them. "The loss of your family was a great sacrifice, but they loved you. Wanted you to have all the opportunity that you could. Isn't that why they let you spend so much time with your friends? They would not want you to destroy the Moon Princess, they would want you to find happiness and love." He scoped her up into his arms, cradling her against him, "If your planet had not sacrificed all of their lives so that you could live as an immortal, I would have never met you. My planet would have fallen to the Shadows, and I would have died. I never met the old Queen of the Moon, but I am in her debt. She set into motion the actions that led you to me. While I grieve with you for the loss of your Planet, and your family, I cannot be angry with the course of action that led us together."

He glanced down at her, she was staring up at him with wide eyes. "So please, please, Azreal will you meet with Sailor Moon, and let the Inner Scouts know that you are not a threat, that you very well may be the only person that can win the fight against the Shadows?" Looking down again he saw her eyes closed, and the tears finally slow. When she looked up at him again, there was a new clarity to her vision, as though she no longer carried within her the guilt of surviving when her Planet fell, and no longer felt the need to destroy the Moon Kingdome.

"I cannot promise you that the anger is gone from within me," she answered slowly, "But I can promise that I can meet with the Inner Scouts and no one will be hurt by me." Again the unspoken words hung in the air, 'this time.' She made no promise that she would not eventually seek the destruction of the Moon Kingdom, but for now, she would play nice.

"And I will be there, to watch your back." Seiya commented, though they both knew that the Inner Scouts were no threat to her, nor that she was incapable of taking care of herself. But having him there would be a comfort. Azrealella didn't fight, she rested her head against his chest, and let him carry her the rest of the way to her apartment.

"I don't think that's the best idea," Amara said, still glaring at Seiya who was sitting comfortably on the couch with his legs crossed at the knee. Azrealella had asked everyone to not fight, claiming that Seiya was here as a friend.

At the end of a long sigh Trista admitted, "I don't like to say it but I agree with Seiya, Azrealella should talk to Sailor Moon, just to clear up the confusion. Remember how anxious everyone was when Saturn returned? This is ten times worse. It wont go away by everyone pretending everything is fine." She turned to Azrealelle who was sitting next to Seiya, holding his hand. While the site was a little nauseating to Trista, she would never say anything that would fracture her friendship with Azrealella, the girl deserved a little happiness, and if Seiya behaved himself, who was she to say otherwise? "I will go with you, I have known the others the longest."

"I will be fine, I don't need a chaperone, I said I would behave," Azrealella growled the last word. "And I meant it. So long as she behaves."

"This is doomed." Amara said, sitting on the armrest of Michele's chair.

Michele looked up at Amara and took her hand, interlacing their fingers, "I don't mean to sound as though we think you would need a chaperone Azrealella, but it would make us feel better, and no doubt the other Scouts as well." When Azrealella turned her icy look to Michele she quickly added, "It would make us feel better, knowing that there was someone looking out for the Shadows while you spoke at least."

Shrugging, Azrealella finally admitted, "I will accept a chaperone, only if you don't baby me. I have been on my own for the last few years, if you hadn't noticed, and I feel kind of stuffy being around people all the time again. Not that I am not happy to be here, it's just…"

"You like your privacy, its ok Hun," Michele offered her a comforting smile.

"Well now that all that is decided," though nothing was fully decided, "what's for dinner?" Hotaru asked, standing up from the couch, and marching towards the kitchen. Trista followed hoping to save the kitchen from Hotaru's creative style of cooking.

"Yes the hard part is over," Amara said to herself as she passed Azrealella and Seiya as she moved to the kitchen as well.

Azrealella watched Amara pass her sadly, then looked to Michele, "Will it ever be over?"

Michele offered her a false smile, "Give them time. Before you know it, it will be like old times again." Michele declared, she paused to pat Azrealella's hand before going to set the table. Turning she raised the placemats in her hand to question Azrealella if they were staying, she shook her head.

"I have school in the morning, and so does Seiya," she couldn't help but smile at the man beside her.

"As you wish." Michele said, and went back to setting the table.

High School was even more confusing with the Three Lights in attendance. But comforting in its own way. Azrealella could smile in earnest when she sat down to lunch with her old friends, though Amy's friends were always there as well. No one ever said it out right, Azrealella could guess at the history of the Three Lights, and Amy's friends. Knowing that she would get to see Seiya at every break somehow made up for everything else that this world could throw at her. Like the pop quiz in Quantum Physics that she made a perfect score on, when everyone else had failed. It didn't seem right to explain that she kept the book by her bed for some 'light reading'. Or the way the crowd of girls always seemed to follow Seiya around. Azrealella had never been the jealous type, but it was annoying that she couldn't ever have a free moment with him, without an audience.

The worst part of it all was that her meeting with Sailor moon was scheduled for Tuesday night. Azrealella wasn't worried about the Math test she had the next day, calculus had always been fun to her. She was more afraid of what she was going to say to Sailor Moon. How does one go about having a conversation with someone they have loathed for so long? Who would Sailor Moon have with her as her 'guard'. Azrealella still didn't know who would be with her, the Outers and the Sailor Stars had agreed to drawing straws, personally she hoped it would be Hotaru. She was the least interested in going, and would therefore, be the least demanding about direction the conversation. But then again, maybe having someone there to do all the talking for her wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Sighing, Azrealella set her head down on her folded arms and looked out the window, she hadn't heard a word the teacher had said from the start of class. For one of the first times in her life she was more concerned with her personal life then learning something.

"Azrealella, since it seems that you don't need to pay attention to the lecture will you please state the first law of physics?"

She looked up sleepily at the teacher, and was surprised to see the class staring at her, including Amy, who was still seated in the front row, not banished to the last with Azrealella. "According to Newton the first law of physics stats that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion, with the same speed and direction until an outside forces acts upon it. There are however exceptions to the first law, items that Newton did not take into consideration upon creation of the law."  
The teacher stared at her blankly, "There are no exceptions to the laws of physics. You are mistaken."

Azrealella simply stared at the teacher for a moment, then shrugged, "I apologies, my misconception." And went back to her internal conversation, which was far more stimulating then the instructor. Before she fully zoned out, she noticed Amy watching her.

No exceptions to the laws of physics, blah, hadn't he every heard that laws were made to be broken? Didn't he understand that what was commonplace on Earth was opposite on another planet with a different gravitational pull, or other extraordinary factors?

Shaking her head, she set it back on her arms, and looked back out the window, the meeting was tonight, and the only thing she knew about it was what to wear.

As it turned out Azrealella didn't get her choice for who came with her, but she was still happy to have Trista standing at her side. She felt a little foolish, standing in the middle of the park, in the middle of the night. Waiting for someone she didn't like by principal to come to a meeting where each side had a 'guard'. This all seemed a little too ridicules to her, why not just have everyone meet at once, get everything out on the table all at once, and have it be over with. They didn't like her, that's fine she didn't need their approval…but she wanted it. And she hated admitting that to herself. She still craved the approval of the Moon Kingdom, like an itch that she could never reach.

"Maybe we are in the wrong park?" X asked Pluto, who cast her a look, before turning away, "oook, maybe not. Hey can we talk before they get here? You are mad at me, I know it so don't hide it."

Pluto turned to her, but looked away before anything was said. "Is this about Jupiter still?"

"You have no right to so thoughtlessly hand out the life force that so many died to give to you."

"Yep this is about Jupiter," X said, looking at the ground, she kicked at a weed that was growing beside a flower, choking it. Interesting analogy she thought glumly. "Pluto, its my gift, mine to do with as I please. If it was your life on the line do you think I would have acted any differently?"

Pluto turned to face her, "I would hope that you would realize that all those people gave their lives to you, I would hope that you would honor me enough to leave me where I lay. I would hope that you wouldn't risk your life for my own."

"Then your hopes would be in vain." Azrealella said, looking Pluto in the eye. "I value you far more then my own life, you're the Guardian of Time! We need you! And you are my friend and sister. "

"You are the Guardian of Darkness," Pluto said, pushing a lock of hair back from X's face. "You protect the balance of darkness and light."

"Saturn can do that, she has before." X said looking away.

Pluto held X's chin in her hand forcing her to look at her, "She cannot do it without a strain. Would you wish that on your sister?"

X pushed away, crossing her arms and staring out the park. "I would not wish it on anyone to be the Guardian of Darkness, its my burden to carry.

Pluto approached her from behind, but stopped just short of reaching her, "but its not a burden to you is it? It has never felt like a bad thing to crave the darkness, to command the night. It is who you are, and I wouldn't have you any other way, we just need to convince the others about you."

"Do you think they will accept me, they didn't before." X asked to the wind.

"Sailor Moon is a good girl, she can be a bit of a blond at times, but she has a strong heart. She fought for Saturn when no one else would." Pluto admitted.

"So the problem is going to be me isn't it, can I accept them." She turned back to Pluto, and noticed the two figures walking towards them. "This is going to be harder then I thought," She muttered to Pluto, "did she have to bring _him_?" X asked as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask walked up to them.

Even after a thousand years, and falling in love again, it felt odd to be standing so close to her first love. Even if he didn't remember her. X stared uncertainly at Sailor Moon, who seemed to be just as uncertain of her.

"Well this is wonderfully awkward!" X announced, hoping to break the ice.

Pluto gave her a pained look, but Moon smiled.

Tuxedo Mask shifted uncomfortably, "Nice of you to accompany her Pluto." Though he smiled, his voice was tense, strained.

Azrealella shook her head, this was insane, and nothing would be solved in this manner. "So in a nut shell, we are here to determine if I can be trusted correct?" the silence that met her statement was answer enough, "So-"

"Thank you." Moon whispered.

X looked to Pluto before turning back to Moon, "Beg pardon?"

Moon looked at her, tears in her eyes, "Thank you for saving Jupiter. I wouldn't have been able to do that, I still don't know how you did. But I am grateful that you did it, I am glad that you are here."

X stared at Moon, she couldn't have been more surprised if she had been slapped across the face. "I didn't do it for you. We had a saying a long time ago, us from the Outer Ring, that we were sisters." She smiled at the memory, "I couldn't have let her die, it wasn't for you that I saved her, it was a selfish act."

"No it was the most unselfish act I have ever seen." Moon said, tears now running down her face.

X stared at Moon in uncertainty, even when Tuxedo Mask wrapped an arm around her frail looking shoulders, X felt nothing but the undesirable urge to comfort her. "I-"

"The Sailor Stars have told us all that you did for them on their home world." Moon continued, "you helped them destroy the Shadows there, and they assured us that you would help us too."

"That's right but-"

"So what's not to trust?" Moon reached out and took X's hand.

X stared at the white gloved hand that held her grey glove, not sure what to do. This wasn't going anything like what she had thought, for starters there hadn't been a single attack so far.

"Luna told us about the past, and about your planet, and all the technology that you possessed." Moon looked down, still clutching her hand, "and I am so sorry that Queen Serenity couldn't help your planet. Please accept my apology for the past."

X felt herself going still, felt herself loosing grasp on reality. She didn't know what happened next, but she felt the cool grass beneath her bare legs, and the warmth underneath her head. One hand raised to rub the back of her now aching head, she felt fabric. Sitting up faster then was smart, she felt a sudden wave of nausea, and dizziness.

"Its ok, sit still X, don't try to move to fast." Pluto encouraged her.

X stared at Pluto, who was kneeling beside her, until she focused on one and not the three she had seen at first. Then she clung to her friend, "she apologized." X cried, "Why did she have to do that, couldn't she just have been the spoiled brat that I remember?" She buried her head in Pluto's hair, her staff lying on the ground next to her.

"Well that wasn't expected," Tuxedo Mask said from above them.

X looked up at the man she had once loved, the first man she had ever loved. If things had been different what would they be in this lifetime? Where would Seiya fit in to all of this? She shook her head, but smiled at Tuxedo Mask. He had his queen, and she didn't need him. When the realization hit her she laughed, then couldn't stop. Tears were streaming down her face before she could pull herself back together.

"I didn't expect this either," Pluto said, still hugging X.

"Was it something I said?" Moon asked, looking down at Pluto.

Pluto smiled, "It's just been a long thousand years." She stroked X's hair, and began laughing. "It's been a very long thousand years."

Still laughing X managed to say, "But a good thousand too." Wiping her eyes, she stood on wobbly legs. Clinging to Pluto for a moment longer she regained a resemblance of her balance. There was just one thing that could make her evening complete, one thing that could make the struggle she had endured worth it. She took the few steps to Moon, and sank to her knees. Staring up at Moon, she saw the Princess that she had always longed to serve. The Scout who would be a shinning light in the darkness of her life. "I asked the last queen twice before, and was refused both times, now I ask the same question to you. May I, the Lunar Eclipse, the Guardian of Darkness, have the honor of being a Sailor Scout of the Kingdom of Light?"


	7. Chapter 7

Sailor Moon stared in shock at the Sailor Scout at her feet. She didn't have to think, didn't have to wonder if this was the right course of action. She extended her hand, and helped X to her feet. "I would be honored to have you in my Kingdom."

X nodded her head, needing a private moment to remember this moment. Her eyes closed, she sent a private thought to her family, _I did it, I am a real Sailor Scout now. Wish you were here mom, dad…_ here eyes were overflowing with tears, before she could finish the thought. When she looked up again, she saw Sailor Moon before her, and for the first time, she saw a friend. "I asked Queen Serenity once why. She said that the time was not right. I was too young at the time to believe in things like destiny, and that the world wasn't centered around me." She sniffed, and looked up to the stars, letting their light warm her heart.

"Now to the business of the Shadows," Tuxedo Mask said, breaking the silence.

"Leave them to me." X stared at Tuxedo Mask intently. "Please do not try to combat them. You will fail. Stay to the light, even starlight will protect you. You are safe by day, just avoid any darkness."

Moon looked up at Tuxedo Mask then back to Pluto and X. "You can't fight them alone. Please accept our help, were all together in this."

Shaking her head X continued, "I am alone in this, I wont let any of you risk your selves," when Moon began to protest, she spoke louder, "And I cant keep worrying about the rest of you if I am to fight effectively. Please, you would just be a distraction."

Pluto picked up X's staff from the grass, and handed it to her. "Then what can we do to help."

X shook her head, "I don't know if you can." She answered honestly.

After being accepted by Sailor Moon, everything changed. Azrealella met the Sailor Scouts as they were, and in their normal average daily life. And was happy to discover that they were none other then the friends that Amy had introduced her too. Though Amy herself was a little wary of Azrealella. She put it off as not being able to please everyone all the time, and considered it a small victory that she was getting along with most of the Scouts. Azrealella was even introduced to Rini, Serena's daughter from the future, who thought Azrealella was wonderful.

It was Rini who acted as a balm on everyone fears of Sailor X. Rini who would grab her hand and drag her around Rey's temple and chatter about anything and everything. Wanting to know what it had been like in space so long alone, and what other planets were like, and telling her about everything she knew about the future.

"Why does Seiya call you Azreal, and everyone else calls you Ella?" Rini asked one day when they were picking flowers together.

"Well I like to change my name every few hundred years, just a little change." Azrealella answered.

"Really? What have you gone by before," Rini picked a bright purple flower, and added it to the others in her hand.

"Azreal, Areal, Ella, Azrealella, Az.." she trailed off, trying to remember all the names she had had.

"I like Azreal, can I call you that too?" Rini asked.

Azreal smiled, "You may call me whichever you like." She selected a bright yellow flower, and handed it to Rini.

It had been a week since the moon lit conversation with Serena, and Azreal was getting itchy with anticipation. The Shadows hadn't had any other attacks since the one on the Three Light's concert. It was too quiet for her taste, she needed some action, needed to feel useful. Thinking about what to do when the Shadows attacked often distracted her from other things, like what Rini was doing.

Looking up Azreal smiled when she saw Rini skipping back towards her, a full bouquet of flowers in one hand. "Serena will love those, you're very thoughtful to have gathered them for her."

Rini sniffed the flowers before smiling brightly at Azreal. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Azreal offered Rini her hand and they walked back to the temple. They were almost back when Rini stopped and looked up at Azreal. "Why aren't you in the future? All the other Scouts are?"

Azreal froze, her body going cold. She looked down at Rini, not sure she had heard her right. The concern in the little girls face tore at her heart, and she said the first thing she thought of, "Maybe I retired, and I am living a life of luxury in the future. Or I am an old lady who likes to be left alone." She gently tweaked one of Rini's pigtails and smiled at her. "Go on take those inside to Serena, I want to have a chat with Trista."

"Ok, say hi to her for me!" Rini said as she skipped inside.

The drive to Amara and Michele's had never felt longer. Too many thoughts were turning around in her head. She wasn't a part of the future. Did that mean she died, or that she had simply left earth again? Could she die? Every time she gave another back their life it became harder. Did that mean that she was nearing the end of her time? Was she running out of life force? She had never asked Trista about the future, had made it a point to not want to know. Now she needed answers.

She didn't knock on the door, just walked in, Amara and Michele were out, Hotaru was at the Temple with the others, so Trista was the only one at home. Azreal found her in the kitchen, and she didn't look surprised to see her.

"I need to know." Azreal said, not bothering with the niceties. "I don't care about my life, but I need to know that I am able to protect everyone else."

Trista set the trey of cookies she was baking on a cooling rack before turning to her. "So Rini told you."

Azreal shouldn't have been surprised that Trista knew what she was talking about, she was the Guardian of Time, she knew everything that ever or would ever happen. "Please Trista. You know I am going crazy waiting for the Shadows to attack. Please don't make me go into that battle not knowing that I can keep your futures on track."

"Azrealella, in the past thousand years, you have not once asked what would happen. Have not ever doubted yourself, why are you now?" Trista stared at her. Pinning Azreal to the spot.

"I don't survive the Shadows fight." She stared at Trista, not sure if she had come to the right conclusion, and yet certain of it a1 the same time. "The Shadows win." She sat down hard in one of the stools at the bar in the entrance to the kitchen. "But there is a future to this planet, I know there is, Rini is proof of it." Looking down Azreal fought back the tears.

"You know if I tell you the future it will change." Trista said, placing a hand on Azreal's hand.

"I need to know, will this be the last time I get to see Seiya." The pleading in her voice hurt Trista, but she held fast, not answering. Azreal stared at her for a full minuet, before sliding off the stool and heading to the door.

"Where are you going Azreal?"

She looked back at Trista, but didn't have an answer, she was simply going away.

The Shadow crept slowly along the side of the street, carefully avoiding the lamplight. Light, what a terrible concept, everything was so clear in the light. Shadows and shade, where what one thinks could so easily be mistaken for another, where it is so much more interesting. A kitten turns into a lion in the dark, a tree branch scratching a window became a creature from a nightmare. Yes darkness was so much more delightful.

Too bad that Hunter was lurking about. If it only knew what the Hunter's weakness was then perhaps, it would have the upper hand. Kill the Hunter's weakness, drive the Hunter mad. It was almost too simple, now all it needed was to find the Hunter and follow her without her knowing. It had followed the hated scent of the Hunter to the school, where it had lost the scent with so many others. But here it had found the perfect hunting ground. A school was a place teaming with tons of negative energy. All it had to do, was wait until night fall, perhaps a school game? And it would have all the energy it ever wanted.

Let the Hunter appear then, when it was at its strongest, and see how well the Hunter did. Maybe if it was lucky the Hunter would be among the first it would feast off of.

Clinging to Seiya, Azreal refused to wake up, she wanted the night to last forever. They had been up late, playing games with each other, and making love. Now with the sun peaking through the window, she rolled over, and snuggled closer to him. Dam the light, she wanted more night. Seiya smiled at her, gently nudged her shoulder, "We do have school you know."

She ignored him, and snuggled closer, if her time was so uncertain then she was going to stay with him as long as possible. Her sleep that night had been troubled, too many vision as once. And everything had been white, crystal coated or something. Then there had been a strange light, blinding almost, yet warm. A silver light held by Serena, but it didn't look like the same Serena that Azreal knew. This Serena had looked older somehow, wiser, and sad in a way. Shaking her head, she cleared that last shreds of the dream, and smiled at Seiya. "Lets call in sick, I want to stay in bed."

He smiled at her, "You sure that's such a good idea, you look exhausted."

She wrinkled her nose at him, "Weird dream is all." She leaned over and kissed him deeply on the lips, refused to think of the strange dream or her lack of future. She was living in the moment, living in the now. Gently she leaned her weight onto Seiya, till she lay on top of him, he raised an eyebrow, but submitted to her.

"One day off wont kill anyone," he murmured into her hair.

She smiled down at him, and they enjoyed their day in bed, though sleep, and rest were not a part of it.

She could feel the odd tension in the air, like a storm about to break, but was waiting for something. The hairs on the nape of her neck had been standing at full attention since she had set foot on campus. Her day off with Seiya had left her exhausted in body, but full in heart. She had never had a more fulfilling day in her long life. So now feeling the tension in the air she wondered what had happened in that day. Everything looked normal, no more reports of people collapsing of coma in the parks or on the streets. So the Shadow had not attacked in that one day. So why did she feel so tense?

Amy picked up on it in Physics, "Is there a test today that I don't know about?"

Azreal stared at her blankly for a moment then smiled, "No I guess I am just more tired then I thought I was. Maybe I should have stayed home today too."

"No you would miss the game tonight! Its Basketball season, the first game is tonight, we are all going, don't you remember?" Amy stared at her.

Basketball? She racked her brain thinking hard, she had heard something about it, but then Rini had wanted to go for a walk so she had left the room. Was it really such a big thing? Looking at Amy she knew the answer. "Sure I remember, season opener, tonight, everyone going." She smiled for Amy's sake, but inside was groaning, great another night in the public eye, where everyone would be staring at her and Seiya. But for the sake of the others, she smiled and cheered with them at the pep rally after school, and promised to be at the game that night. She just wished she didn't have to keep that promise.

Seiya drove her home after school, and stayed with her, while she changed for the game, she didn't want him out of her sight when he didn't have to be, and while changing with him in the room led to expected delays, it was another wonderful memory that warmed her tummy.

That conversation with Rini was still haunting her thoughts. Making her want to spend every possible moment with Seiya.

Dressed in blue jeans and Seiya's lettermen jacket she was ready for the game, and was actually looking forward to it, a night of teenaged normalcy may be just what the doctor ordered.

The parking lot was crowded, with people both coming and going, rival students from the other school calling out good natured taunts to all the students from the home school. Azreal hung on to Seiya's arm and braved the cameras, and stares from everyone there, and was genuinely relieved when she was seated in the stands next to Seiya and Yaten, Taiki on the other side of Yaten and the rest of the Sailor Scouts in the surrounding area.

With a smile she realized that for the first time in years she was among her old friends again doing something that they would have done in their last lifetime together. Tears stung her eyes when she looked behind her and saw Amara and Michele holding hands, Rini and Hotaru dressed as cheerleaders doing their own cheer, she even laughed when she saw Serena eating a hotdog and getting some ketchup on the front of her shirt, and had Darien help her wipe it off. The site of Lita sitting next to Trista made her throat close, and she turned back to the game going on before her, snuggling closer to Seiya. She was home, after a thousand years, and more battles then she would ever admit, she had found her way to a place she could truly call home.

The Hunter was here, it could smell her above all the other scents in the gym, hers was the only one that could make it feel fear. She was here, and she was not alone, there were others who wielded the dark magic. It took another long sniff of the air, then chuckled to itself. The Hunter had done something, its scent had altered. It was no longer an agent of pure darkness like the Shadow it self, the Hunter had changed. Her scent was lighter somehow. Her magic was lighter.

Perhaps the Hunter would not be so great a challenge as it thought, perhaps the Hunter would beg it to finish her life. Laughing to it self the Shadow selected a group of rowdy teenagers that looked good enough to eat. The gym's lights were on full, but there were too many people in the space for there not to be shadows. Silent as a cloud the Shadow drifted below the bleachers, and seeped upward, around its intended's feet, beginning at the bottom and working its way up, it sucked the energy out of its meal, leaving the exhausted victims in a coma, clinging to life by a thread.

"Its here," Azreal hadn't realized that she had spoken aloud, until silence fell around her. Her eyes began roaming over the bleachers, looking at everything and seeing nothing.

"What's here?" Seiya whispered to her urgently.

She ignored him, and continued to search, she saw the wisps of a shadow out of the corner of her eye, but it was gone before she could turn her head.

"Azreal, what's here." Seiya said again, this time he caught her face with his fingers and gently directed her to look at him.

The answer was in her eyes and he knew it long before she whispered, "The Shadow." Her talisman was in her hand before she remembered reaching for it.

Yaten grabbed her hand, "You can't, not here, everyone will see."

She turned to Yaten, "If I don't do it now people may die."

Yaten looked over her head to Seiya. Seiya pulled her to her feet, "Come, we will be back before anyone notices we are gone."

"We are coming too!" Turning Azreal stared at the other Scouts, each of them with a determined look on their face.

"You know I can't fight, and worry about your safety," She pleaded with them.

"And your one of us now, so we fight together." Rey declared.

Shaking her head, Azreal turned to Seiya, who led the way down the bleachers. Once outside, she caught Trista's hand, "send her forward." At Trista's blank stare, Azreal repeated, "Send Rini forward. This battle will not end well. If she is from the future, then that is where she must go. Tonight."

"Azreal the future-"

"Is now, send her Trista. I cannot protect her here." Azreal begged her.

After a brief pause Trista nodded, and went to Rini.

Azreal grasped her talisman, it had been her grandmothers before her, and was the most treasured thing she owned. Holding the odd slightly bent piece of stone with carvings in it into the air she yelled, "Planet X Extreme Transform!"

Moments later they ran into the gym together, X held her staff before her ready to create a shield if she needed to. She hadn't waited to make sure that Pluto sent Rini home, but she knew she was right. Everything was going to be decided tonight.

The gym was a transformed place, in the few moments they had been outside, the Shadow had consumed the energy of half the gyms occupants, the other half were running over one another in an attempt to escape. X stood searching every moving shadow, for her prey.

The attack came from behind, the Shadow knocked her forward half the length of the basketball quart, and surrounded her. She stood, staff in hand before her. "This ends tonight." She told the monster.

It chuckled at her. As it wound its way around her, wrapping her in a misty veil of darkness. "Foolish Hunter." Its voice was raspy, but clear even among the yelling people fleeing past her. "You were so strong, so powerful in the darkness, yet you craved light. How pathetic. Couldn't you just be happy alone in the dark? I am."

The full weight of the darkness was pressing into her from all sides, making it harder and harder to draw a full breath.

"Did you think that they could ever full accept you? Sure they like your gifts, you gave them back Jupiter, what's not to like. But will they ever like you for you…" The shadow struck out at a boy running by catching him by the left foot, it lifted him in the air, and drained him of his energy. X could feel the strength of the boy in the monster as it pushed harder at her. "You will never be accepted by others, you are darkness, they are light, the only thing that they can do to you is distort you."

"I make my own way." She struggled to say. "Extreme Assault!" she had never tried to do the spell while being wrapped in the grasp of the Shadow, and found that it had little effect, her cobalt whip lashed at the creature, but its hiss of pain quickly turned into a haunted laugh.

"See what the light has done to you? Made you week." It lashed out at the Sailor Scouts who were running to where she stood surrounded by the Shadow, engulfed in its vaporous hold.

She screamed when it struck her friends, sending them flying through the air to land on the bleachers. The gym was empty now of on lookers, it was just the Scouts and the Shadow creature.

"Light is rather unbecoming on you Hunter. Perhaps you should forget that you ever needed the light, forget that you ever craved its warmth on your face. Feel nothing but the glorious cold of darkness." The Shadow pulsed around her with energy, dark energy. The chilling effect of it causing her breath to fog before her, making her shiver.

Seiya's face flashed before her minds eye, she could hear his laugh, feel his lips against her own. She fought harder, this time seeing Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, and Saturn. She could feel their hands on her own, and one other, Jupiter. They were children spending a summer together on Saturn's home world. They were doing as they always did, getting into trouble. This time it was with one of the old spell books from Planet X. After flipping through the old dusty tome, they had come to a spell that caught their eye, 'binding sisterhood-a spell to make your friends your sisters'. After a few moments to ponder they had decided to give it a go. The spell had been easy enough, and the effect had been instant. When once the looked upon each other and saw a friend, now they saw family. When they looked in the mirror again that night, they saw the faces of their friends staring back out at them. They were sisters bound at the soul forever to be united.

The memory strengthened her, reminding X that those who mattered the most even when she was an agent of darkness had accepted her. Even when she was considered to be a rough scout.

Staff in hand before her she slammed the tip to the ground, "Darkness Defend!" The spell shot out before her, slicing the shadow in two. It dissolved for a moment, disappearing into the shadows all around the gym.

"Sailor X!" X smiled up at the group of Sailor Scouts who came running to her. "Are you all right?" Venus was the first in the group to reach her.

"Its not over yet." X answered grimly, she turned her back to the others, and took a step away, her eyes straining to see what was in the shadows.

A hand clasped her shoulder, she turned to see Jupiter beside her. Tears in her eyes, "I remember." She spoke in a whisper. "I remember you. And the spell, and all the other things that we did together." She hugged X in a desperate way, as though her life depended on that hug. "I am so sorry I forgot."

"Families don't hold grudges." X said with a smile.

"How touching," the Shadow cooed from the darkness around them. "Memories cannot save you now. The Darkness will consume all it touches! My Darkness shall rein complete!" A wind whirled around X where she stood, pushing the others back a few paces. "You gave up the darkness, you cast it out of your heart, embracing the light. That makes you no better then the others, that makes you weak!"

"Silent!-" Saturn began.

"No! Its me it wants, and it is me it shall have." Azreal stared into the shadows, feeling the darkness at the chore of her being striving to be free. "I am sorry Sailor Moon, I will always think of you as my Princess, but I must retire from the Kingdom of Light." She held her staff above her head, and began to spin it, drawing on the dark power at the center of her being, drawing on every happy and sad moment of her life. "I am now and forever shall be, The Lunar Eclipse!" Dropping her left arm she continued to spin the staff on her right palm, "Ebony Encircle!" The staff came to her left side, and a arch of ebony shot from the end of the staff, and wrapped around the Shadow that had a hold of her.

There was no distraction this time, no looking away, she watched until her ebony magic rendered the Shadow to dust.

"Impressive, and yet so unneeded." A larger shadow crept out from under the bleachers behind her, and enveloped the Scouts and Stars. "You see, that was just a little one that you were playing with, but it did serve the purpose. While you were distracted, I took the liberty of draining every one else in this pitifully small city. There is still so much more energy to had."

X watched in horror as the other Scouts were drained of their energy, and their lives, then dropped to the floor. The shadow pulsed with energy, pulsed with malice for her. "How many of you are there." She demanded, her staff pointing to the shadow.

It chuckled for a moment. "Far to many for you to take on alone. And you are definitely now, all alone. Even your precious Princess fell to me. What chance do you think you have against all the Shadows of the world."

"Plenty, I had an entire planet die so that I could live, their power lives within me. I can't think of a better use for it then against you."

She held the staff above her head, and began to chant, an ancient song she had learned as a child from her grandmother though she had not known what it meant when first she learned it. Translated in the common tongue it was

_Those before, those to follow, give me the strength that I shalnt have tomorrow, help me defend, with my life and yours, This I command, For Darkness I Fight, For love I shall die, Protect my friends, From the Darkest of Nights!_

She had never fully understood what the spell would do, but knew that it was the time for it to be used. With the final words of the song she slammed the tip of her staff to the ground, where it shattered. As the chips fell to the floor, she watched the Shadow before her shiver. X watched in fascination as the chips turned to a crystal like substance that spread, and spread, covering the entire gym, covering the scouts that were not but a few feet from her. She watched in fascination as they covered everything but herself, the reflection from the lights, and sun left nowhere for the Shadows to hide.

Slowly she moved to the door of the gym and watched the crystals cover everything as far as her eyes could see. Slowly she remembered her dream. And she smiled. This was how Crystal Tokyo was born. She smiled to herself as she walked back into the gym. There were still things to be done.

Standing before the Sailor Scouts she smiled at her friends, and comrades. Drawing in a deep breath she said loud and clear, "Immortal Divide!" The soft warmth enveloped her, eyes closed against the bright she didn't see her star send a single drop to the Sailor Scouts, the Sailor Stars and Tuxedo Mask where they lay before her. She didn't need to see it to know how much energy she had lost. Collapsing to the ground, she curled into a fetal position and hugged herself.

Time passed, but time is a tricky thing when you're the only person in a world of crystal. When X opened her eyes again, she was alone, the friends she had once known were all locked in a state of crystal hibernation, but they were alive. She blinked back the tears that threatened to leak down her face, and reached for her necklace. Closing her eyes, she called to her friend.

Pluto appeared before her, a sad smile on her face. "Even after I asked you not to you saved me."

X smiled, "What can I say I am a slow learner." She coughed violently, but recovered. "I have done what I can, if my dream is true, Sailor Moon will be able to reawaken this world with the birth of Crystal Tokyo."

Pluto just nodded at her. "You fought well my friend."

X nodded, but didn't have the strength to do more. "I fear you were right all along, my life force is nearly gone." She glanced over her shoulder to the frozen forms of the other scouts, and smiled, "But they will live on," she nodded to Pluto, "You will live on." Another spasm of coughs racked her body, and she fell to her knees. She looked back over her shoulder one last time, and crawled to the person she had so loved, Seiya, lay, arms out stretched to her. X crawled into his arms and kissed him one last time, "Tell him I loved him? I don't think I ever did say those words to him." She gently caressed his frozen face. With one last look at her most beloved friend, Sailor X lay her head to rest on Seya's chest, she could hear his heart beating within the crystal cocoon. She had never heard a happier song, she died, listening to his heartbeat, and knowing that he would live on.

Pluto stood over her friend for a long moment before pointing her staff to the sky, they were outside now, no longer in the crystallized gym. She could think of no better place for her friend to spend the rest of time than among some of her best friends, the Stars. Her staff raised to the sky, Pluto called in a favor from long ago. She watched with tears in her eyes, as a light shone down on her friend, and lifted her high into the sky.

Pluto would never forget the location of Azrealella's star, nor did she doubt that Seiya would find her in a thousand years when Serena reawake the world. "Till we meet again, my friend, my sister."


End file.
